Japandroids / Near to the Wild Heart of Life

Perhaps the strongest moments are the two closing tracks the penultimate ‘No Known Drink Or Drug’ sees Japandroids marrying their classic sound with the new reflective writing.

When they left, Japandroids were the perfect soundtrack to a rowdy bar on a Friday night, whereas this variety means ‘Near…’ is a record to be explored in the after-party, the morning after, or on a wandering walk through the city. ‘North East South West’ is a country-tinged ode to Canada, ‘I’m Sorry (For Not Find You Sooner)’ is a brief, dreamy, shoegaze influenced ballad, and ‘Arc Of Bar’ recalls The Who, both in the stadium sized opening riff and epic story telling over seven minutes.

Whereas ‘Celebration Rock’ was minimal, focused on squeezing every last drop of excitement out of every second of every song, ‘Near…’ isn’t afraid to take a step back and let a song breath, or to explore synths and acoustic guitars. The monstrous drumming, huge riffs and romantic lyrics mean this is undeniably a Japandroids record, but the years off between their 2012 masterpiece ‘Celebration Rock’ and ‘Near…’ have allowed the band to look back and reflect on their sound. This duality of the past and the present fills the album, both lyrically and sonically. The self-titled opening track of ‘Near To The Wild Heart Of Life’ could easily be a b-side from ‘Celebration Rock’ (not a bad thing in the slightest), although listening in the week Donald Trump was inaugurated does give those lines a certain current poignancy. Japandroids launch into their first album for almost five years off the back of some ear shattering drumming, a riff that sounds like a whole band and an opening lyric full of the sort of modern nostalgia Japandroids have made their own.

Japandroids / Near to the Wild Heart of Life